Review by Adam M on December 5, 2017.

Right from the start, The Contortionist has a stronghold on what it takes to be a standout progressive act. There are numerous moments on this album that stick out in progressive bliss that is welcome to behold. The sound of the band combines a core base with a progressive touch that makes it entirely melodic in nature. The music has a feel good approach that is wonderful to behold.

It follows a somewhat similar template to what Periphery has done in recent times, but brings a unique edge that is altogether welcome. The music has a very accessible aura to it, but remains difficult enough to appreciate. This combination of styles makes for a diverse and compelling album at each turn. I still believe Periphery has the edge in terms of creating innovative tracks, even though the music here is very worthwhile. It just doesn’t have enough to stick out completely from the pack and maintain a unique foothold in music. Instead, we have music that is similar to other tracks that have been done in the past, but holds up surprisingly well when compared to other acts like Eidola that have a similar aura to them. This can thus be seen as a combination of Periphery and Eidola, but even this comparison doesn’t completely do the band justice. The song Clairvoyant stuck out from the pack for me with its delicate and moody guitar lines.

The overall guitar used on this album is creative and blends nicely with the remainder of the instruments. Vocals are ethereal and nice, but nothing that hasn’t been done in an interesting manner elsewhere. Overall, Clairvoyant was a very pleasant album to listen to and nicely combined subtlety with complexity at every corner. It comes recommended to fans of progressive music and the bands name-checked in this review.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10